President Barack Obama | No Strait Answer

From the trusted team behind 48 Hours, welcome to Case by Case, your weekly update on the biggest true crime stories unfolding right now. Nick Ryder remains in custody without bail. Luigi Mangione accused of stalking and gunning down United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. From high-profile trials and stunning evidence to major breaks in cold cases, we'll follow it all Case by Case. Follow and listen to 48 Hours, Case by Case, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome, one and all, to the late show. I'm your host Stephen Colbert. I just want to start off, just want to start off tonight by saying, uh, happy Cinco de Mayo, everybody. For those who don't know, Cinco de Mayo is the day a co-worker in a problematic hat is going to invite you out for margaritas. Larry, you seem nice, but I don't want to go for drink-os. We are not amigos, we are at best acquaintances del work. This Cinco de Mayo is extra special because it happens to fall on Taco Tuesday. And really? And there are some festive deals to be had. Taco Bell is offering free Crunchwrap Supremes and 7-Eleven has a Bogo on burritos. And I'm guessing if you eat more than one 7-Eleven burrito, you will go into the hospital. But of course, it's fun, it's a fun celebration. Of course, the big story remains the war in Iran. It's tragic and confusing and I don't want to talk about it anymore. So stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it. Off the war. Because, thank you, nice hands. Because we got other stuff to think about, okay, it's already May. Are we getting a house on the shore this summer? Or are we going to really splurge and get a whole tank of gas? So now, against my expressed wishes, it is time for another Hormuz News You Can Use Would Rather Drink Booze. According to the latest reports, the Strait is closed. We think. Because only two ships were known to have passed through the waterway on Monday and some 1600 ships and roughly 20,000 seafarers remain stranded. Stranded seafarers. You know what that leads to. Scurvy, cannibalism, and lonely sailors fashioning Dutch wives out of rags and soap. You are so lovely, Greta. And so quiet. There are reports of the U.S. and Iran and today, Iran hit the UAE with drones and missiles. That is dangerous. Not just to Mideast peace, but to my parent corporation. Because Paramount's bid to buy Warner Brothers relies on $24 billion in Gulf funds, including the Limad Holding Company, which is run by the crown prince of the UAE. So this war could endanger the future UAE-approved version of HBO. With the hot euphoria reboot, obey your parents. This morning, just this morning, was just this morning, in the Oval Office, Trump announced the return of the presidential fitness test to a group of small children and, of course, talked about the stakes of the war in Iran. We can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon. You might be too young for this. I don't know if I want to. They probably know. They probably know better than most people. But you can't let a bunch of lunatics have a nuclear weapon or the world would be in trouble. It's a very important thing. So we would have had an Iran with a nuclear weapon and maybe we wouldn't all be here right now. All right, kids. Now let's read Green Eggs and Ham. The eggs are green because the chickens have mutated from radioactive fallout. But don't worry. You won't have to eat it. You'll all be dead. Then, and again, this is in front of a small crowd of very small children. Trump told the kids what Iran would have to do for the war to end. That's not the way we play. No, we do it the old-fashioned way. And they should wave. They're very proud. Maybe you won't see a white flag, but essentially that's already what they need. They should wave the white flag. The white flag of surrender. In hockey, they say, uncle, right? Yes. Yes. In hockey, they say, uncle. We all remember the miracle on ice. Five seconds are left in the game. Do you believe in uncle? Yes! Speaking of confused children, Pete Hegseth. Today, the SEC deaf explained the operation to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz and how it's different from the war, which is currently in a ceasefire. This is a separate and distinct effort, temporary nature, that we plan to hand over to the world. So the president was willing to undertake this, send commercial ships through, send destroyers in, provide this red, white, and blue bubble of protection. Ah, yes. That time-honored metaphor for something impenetrable and long-lasting. The bubble. Hegseth. Sorry. Hegseth also got a question about some surprising reports about a secret weapon. Can you kind of clarify these reports of kamikaze dolphins that we've heard about? I can't confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins, but I can confirm they don't. Well, then clearly we have kamikaze dolphins. He just, we strapped porpoises with high explosives and then depressed them sufficiently that they're willing to ram ships in exchange for the promise of herring. What do you think about that, flipper? I agree. We got suicidal dolphins. As Trump's war on Iran drags on, the world economy is not happy, and consumers are feeling the pinch all over. In fact, thanks to the higher gas prices, Domino's reported lower than projected sales. They've even had to update the tracker steps to order, prep, check status of Carg Island. Thanks to high jet fuel prices, airlines are also in trouble, and now Delta is eliminating all food and beverage service on 450 daily flights. Losing food and beverage service is going to be a huge adjustment. It means no more returning from the bathroom like this. So, airlines are pinching pennies on snacks, and everyday Americans are struggling to make ends meet, which means it's the perfect time for the Met Gala. The annual event when Americans come together to watch the richest people wear the most expensive clothes that make you say, what? That's crazy. And you go, Coleman Domingo. Fantastic. The dress code this year was fashion is art, which is nice, but a little predictable. It's always fashion this and fashion that. Maybe just one year it could be something cool like big rig trucks. Something fun, hot glue guns, or those big stump grinders they're bringing to get out your stump. Those are fun. As always, there were some wild looks. Katy Perry stunned as the big boy. Some celebs, you like that one, Mr. Lampley? You like that one? I'm glad. 11 years in, got a laugh out of you. I'm so glad. It's a hard nut to crack at Lampley. Some celebs had fun with makeup, bad bunny transformed into a sexy Doseckis guy. Cardi B showed up as that thing on your neck you've been meaning to get checked out. Ms. B was asked about her post-gala plans, and her response was not reassuring. You got one secret. I'm actually sick and I have a fever. Yep. And based on the expression of the guy behind her, he is learning that information in real time. We got a great show for you tonight. Coming up, President Barack Obama. Indeed presents. Hires you can't afford to get wrong. Like a warehouse operations manager. Where are the forklifts? I sold them. They were too expensive. I got a great deal on these scooters, though. You expect us to move a two-ton pallet on a scooter. It'll be fun. Just think of the core strength you'll build. This is a job for sponsored jobs. This is what happens when you don't sponsor your job on Indeed. So the next time you need someone to get the job done right, get matched with quality candidates with an Indeed sponsored job. Visit Indeed.com slash NextHire and sponsor your job today. Hey, welcome back everybody. Friends and neighbors, long-time viewers of America might remember that we used to have other presidents, a bunch of them in fact, including this guy, Barack Obama. Recently, he invited me to meet him in Chicago at the Obama Presidential Center, which opens to the public on June 19th. We sat down for a conversation that touched on everything from alien life forms to the future of the Democratic Party. Mr. President. It is great to see you. Nice to see you too. Thanks for doing this. Thank you for coming. Last time we were together, sir, was at a fundraiser in New York. It doesn't matter what it was for or what happened. It's all water under the bridge. It is. But after the fundraiser was over, we were backstage briefly as we were all leaving and you turned to me and said, okay, now you can call me Barack. You can. Okay. Well, I haven't done it yet. I have never actually tried it out. What do you think is going to happen? I don't know. I'm not sure if I'm going to be comfortable with this, but we'll give it a run. Go ahead. Okay. It's wonderful to see you again, Barack. We'll wait for the camera. Let's earn it. Okay. Maybe by the end. We are here at the beautiful Obama Presidential Center, which opens on June 19th on the south side of Chicago. What does neighborhood mean to you? Michelle grew up about a mile from here. Our wedding reception was about five minutes from here. My daughters were born in that hospital right there. I first arrived in Chicago, driving down a road that is now been replaced by this building. The first apartment I stayed in Chicago is literally three blocks away. I made my announcement for my first political office about five minutes down the road. So, a lot of stuff has happened here. Okay. So, obviously, Chicago is incredibly important to you. You lived here over 20 years, I understand. Can we get a quick Chicago Bonafides check? Go ahead. Lightning round. First question. Is a hot dog a sandwich? No, hot dog is a hot dog. Okay. Is it ever okay to put ketchup on a hot dog? Never. Okay. Favorite place in Chicago? Favorite place in Chicago is actually the point right over here, which is Jutsat, right around Hyde Park into the lake. It's the first place that I grilled in the summer in Chicago. Least favorite place in Chicago? Well, there was a time where I used to go to the DMV in Chicago. I don't have to. I have a similar one, which is Lower Wacker Drive, which has the best name of any street in Chicago, but that's where they would haul your car away. So, I have more than once I had it. I've actually left it there. Deep dish or tavern style? Tavern style. Sweet or hot? Both. Cubs or socks? Socks. Sears Tower or Willis Tower? It's Sears Tower, man. It's not Sears Tower, exactly. Do you like your town beef dry, wet or dipped? I think wet. Not soaked? Okay. Bulls 91 or 93 or Bulls 96 to 98? 91, 93. All right. Good. You passed. I would expect so. That's a solid B plus. B plus? Yeah, we'll go over it later. I'll have office hours later if you want to stop by. Okay. The Obama Presidential Center is spread across 19.3 acres and includes a 5,000 square foot public library, a monumental museum building, an athletic facility, an outdoor sledding hill, big points for that, gardens and a park. It's obviously a labor of love. 50 to 100 years from now, when somebody comes to this center, what do you want them to take away from the experience? What do they want them to have learned about you and the legacy of your administration? Well, look, I want them to put my presidency in context. I assume in my eulogy, somewhere it'll be mentioned, he was the first African-American president. I will say something about that. But what I want people to understand is that there was this extraordinary journey this country took to get to that point. And I was an episode in that. And it's this struggle between the idea that we, the people, includes everybody, that it's not just some. It's not just some select few. So what I want people to do when they come to this museum is to say, this is part of that American story, that better story, the one that has inspired not just generations, but also the world. And the Obama presidency was a part of that story. It was one small chapter in it. And if I do that, then 50 years from now, when people come, presumably, they'll still be inspired by that story, not mine alone, but ours. Yes, the good future is the one where they say, oh, we totally know what the bad future means. Yes, the bad future is, what's he talking about? There's often a conversation about the restriction or a need to restrict certain executive powers. Yes. Okay. I might have asked you this when you were running for president back in the day, like, is there any power that President Bush has taken that you would say, no, I don't want that power because it keeps accumulating. Now that you're no longer in office, what powers do you believe the president should not have? Well, there are a couple that I followed, even though they weren't law. And I want us, we're going to have to do some work to return to this basic norm. And we probably now have to codify it. The White House shouldn't be able to direct the Attorney General to go around prosecuting whoever the president wants to prosecute. Right, because technically, it's under the executive branch. The norm is that it's independent. The idea is that the Attorney General is the people's lawyer. It's not the president's consigliary. Right, even when it's Bobby Kennedy. That's Bobby Kennedy. And so two of the core principles of a democracy, we can survive a lot. Bad policy, funky elections. There's a bunch of stuff that, you know, we can overcome. We can't overcome the politicization of the criminal justice system. The awesome power of the state. You can't have a situation in which whoever's in charge of the government starts using that to go after their political enemies or reward their friends. Right, so another power, maybe I'd say, would be you, although this is in the Constitution, it's a little hard to change, but maybe don't pardon people who've given you a bunch of campaign contributions. So restoring some sense of the Justice Department being independent in making judgments about specific cases and prosecutions. I would consult with Eric Holder, my Attorney General all the time, around broad policy issues. But that's different than who do you charge, what case do you bring? Second thing is the military. Don't politicize our military. As president, you are Commander-in-Chief. You are responsible for directing our military. But there had been a whole series of norms that were in place to ensure that you weren't trying to make that military loyal to you as opposed to the Constitution and the people of the United States. We're going to have to find mechanisms to restore that. And then, you know, a good policy that I'd like to see followed is that the President of the United States shouldn't have a bunch of side hustles that those companies and foreign entities can invest in. How much of that is just jealous that you didn't think of selling a sneaker? Because your sneakers were flown. You know that, right? You would have banked coin. I thought this was a pretty obvious principle. All right. I'm looking for a new gig soon. And a lot of people tell me I should run for President. Well, you certainly have the look. Thank you very much. You have the look. Well, for the record, I think it's a stupid idea. How dumb do you think it is for people to say that I should run for President? Well, you know, the bar has changed. That is true. At times subterranean. I don't have to limbo so low. I put it this way. I think that you could perform a significantly better than some folks that we've seen. All right. Yeah. I have great confidence in that. Thank you very much. Yeah. Is that an endorsement? It was not. When we come back, I'll ask President Obama about alien life and if the truth is out there. Stick around. Inspired by jet engine silences, the Dyson Hushjet Purify powerfully purifies the entire room quietly, capturing pollen, allergens and pet dander, removing odours and harmful gases such as NO2, day and night. Hushjet, powerful, compact purification. That's quiet. Folks, of all the interviews that President Barack Obama has given, critics are calling mine the most recent. Yvonne? The center is nonpartisan, but you yourself are still a member of the Democratic Party. There's a debate on what the direction of the Democratic Party should be. It looks like it's going to be a fairly good midterm election for the Democrats. Chance to take the House, if not the Senate. But there's a big debate on what the leadership would be like going forward. Basically, it's liberals versus the left to be very reductive about it. As my children say to me, dad, you're liberal. We're leftists because they're like, liberals are people who think things should basically stay the same. You know what I mean? And the next generation really wants things to change. So you have great leaders. You have people like Abigail Spanberger and Mikey Sherrill, very centrist. But then you have further left like AOC or Zoran Mamdani. What direction do you think would be best for this party to actually achieve change? Well, two things I want to say. First, you're right. The presidential center is nonpartisan. And the reason I want to mention that is because I'm worried about the Republican Party, not just the Democratic Party. When I was president, people would ask me, what change would you like to see in Washington? I'd say I'd love a loyal opposition. I'd love a Republican Party that was conservative in some ways, that didn't agree with me on a whole bunch of stuff, but believed in rule of law and judicial independence and empirical evidence and science and wasn't constantly tapping into our worst impulses. And there has been a Republican Party like that in the past, and I want to see that return because I think you have to have two healthy parties. Now, with respect to Democrats, I'm not as worried about this so-called rift between the left and liberals as you describe it, because I think that within the Democratic Party, and I would argue a bunch of independents and even some Republicans as well, there's an overarching belief in equality, fairness. If you work, you should be able to make a living wage and support a family and retire with dignity and respect. And we should not allow companies to just run roughshod over the rights of workers. There are a bunch of things that we agree on, and it's really more of a question of what are the specific things that we have to do. You look at somebody like Mondami, who I think is an extraordinary talent. He wants people to be able to afford housing in New York. Well, you know, I would assume liberals in New York want the same thing. And so I don't worry as much about some of these issues within the Democratic Party. What I'm more interested in for Democrats is, do you know how to just talk to regular people like we're not in a college seminar? Can you talk plain English to folks about- I think that's one of the powers that Mom Donnie has. That's correct. Is that he also, not only does he talk like a normal person, but he lives a normal life, but he also, he names what is obviously wrong. Yes. And he goes, we should change that thing. That doesn't make any sense and not have a bunch of gobbledygook around it. And so what I'm looking for- Is there a strict no gobbledygook? No gobbledygook. Here at the, you should carve that into the wall somewhere of the Obama Center. You know what? No gobbledygook. Just talk. The building's not completed. I think I'm going to put that somewhere. I'm going to carve it into some of the granite out here. Sure, sure. No gobbledygook. Just talk like normal people talk. You know what? Like, the rent's too high. We need to make the rent lower for people. All right. Earlier this year, you said of aliens, quote, they're real, but I haven't seen them. Then you tried to walk it back the next day. You know no one believed you, right? Because that first one had the ring of truth. It was just a guy, just let it, finally let it out. And then the next day you're like, well, what I meant was I'm sure that somewhere out there, given the infinite, you know, nature of the universe and the bill, no one buys that. Just come clean, man. You don't want to tarnish a reputation for just like frankness and honesty. At this point of your career, sir, at long last, won't you just? I thought it was so obvious what I meant. Oh, it was obvious what you meant, but we all got the message. Here's the thing. For those of you who still think that, you know, we've got little green men underground somewhere. One of the things you learn as president is government is terrible at keeping secrets. This idea of conspiracy theories. If there were aliens or alien spaceships or anything under the control of the United States government that we knew about, seen, photographed, what have you, I promise you some guy guarding the installation would have taken a selfie with one of the aliens and sent it to his girlfriend and present. Or there'd be like hints. There'd be like certain hints out there like a presidential center would look like a scout ship that's just come down from low orbit and landed in Chicago. That would happen. Something like that. It could happen. Do you wish they were real? I actually do. I'm putting in a plug now. First contact. I think I would be a good emissary for the plant. He represents me. I mean, I've got the worst background, some experience in statecraft and diplomacy. I'm friendly. So I actually think I could do a pretty good job. That's a good pitch. We will keep that in mind. Thank you so much. But it hasn't happened yet. Okay, great. And we have your phone number here on the resume. Thank you so much. Very impressive. Well, Barak, you so much for your time today. It was wonderful. And congratulations. It's an extraordinary center. You asked what I hope for 50 years from now. What I hope is that a whole bunch of young people come through here during those 50 years and they're inspired to realize the changes they can make in the world and make it better. If we accomplish that, then I'll feel pretty good. Thank you, sir. Thank you. When we return, President Obama gives me a personal tour of the center. And now, join me joining President Barack Obama for a walkthrough of the Obama Presidential Center. The Obama Presidential Center houses a museum dedicated to the president's legacy. Its four levels showcase artifacts from his political and personal life. And my friend, Barak, was nice enough to give me a tour. It's an incredible space. And I'm curious, what do you want people to take away from the Obama Center Museum? What I really want people to take away from this is that they are the force behind change and every positive thing that's happened in the country. They are what lifted me up to the presidency. They're the folks that ultimately bring about changes to make this a fair better country. And I want them to be fired up to go back in their own communities and try to make things better there, too. What do you think the big draw is going to be for this museum? Michelle stresses. That's actually a good answer. And an accurate one. Oh, okay, good. Because you know, the Herbert Hoover Museum in Iowa, he has a diorama of him fishing, of trout fishing. So he had to beat that. That was the bar. It's filled with souvenirs from throughout your life. Is there anything you didn't want to part with? The Nobel Prize is here. And I sort of felt like, you know, who am I showing it off to? It's not like I'm putting it around on a gold chain, wearing it up to dinner. Well, I don't know. You get pulled over by a policeman and you go, excuse me, sir. My friend Alfred would like to talk to you. Is it safe to assume that some of these displays commemorate your greatest achievements as president? I think that is fair. Is there a wing dedicated to greatest blunders? Is the tansuit here? I'm asking if the tansuit is here. Listen, I own that tansuit proudly, brother. We have this. If you want to put this on display someplace. I mean, I look great. A shattered nation looked up and saw that. When you look back at the tansuit, what occurs to you? Why? Tell me about these sneakers. Did you put these out for sale? What is this? I did not. What we have in this case is all kinds of amazing stuff that volunteers made, that we had nothing to do with. They came up with cool stuff and made me look cool. And I wasn't that cool. You're a little cool. You're a little cool. They were cooler. I wasn't going to be thinking of something like that. Now those, yes we can sneakers. I know you still play ball. I'm just curious at 64, do the shoes say yes we can, but the knees say maybe we shouldn't? Over here, I noticed the Obama o's. This is an interesting story. We'll see. Brian Chesky, the CEO of Airbnb, gave this to me. Airbnb had gotten started and was looking for some sort of event where they could, you know, show that this concept of people sleeping in other people's bedrooms might work. And the Denver Convention was one of their big launching points because they figured a whole bunch of volunteers are coming in. There aren't enough hotel rooms. And simultaneously they were running out of money. Did they sell these? They sold these as a way to help fund Airbnb when it was short on cash. They basically took a bunch of Cheerios and then put them in another box. Just looking at the photo on behalf of children everywhere, how about some marshmallows, man? What is the worst thing that you had to eat for a camera? Well, I'm not sure it's the worst tasting. Most dangerous thing for you. Worst thing fried snicker bar? That sounds good though. That's why it sounds like America. It tasted just fine. There you go. That's amazing. That I have to say was pretty cool. Partly because Spider-Man was along with Batman, my two favorite superheroes when I was 10, 11 years old. That is number 583. That's really great, 583. I'm on variant 573. It happened for you first. Yeah, it happened. And are there a lot of things that you copied that I did? Just this? I was thinking about other things when this thing came out. Like the economic crisis that was about to plunge the world in the Great Depression. Yeah, you did a good job with that. I'm sure you were really concerned about getting your face on the cover of... We all have our priorities. You said Batman was big for you too. What number of Batman are you on? I've never been on Batman. Oh, come on. Oh, I've been on Batman. That's the thing. And again, it's not a competition. So you shouldn't feel however you're feeling right now. I'm feeling a little low T. You did. Now you've said that this center really isn't about you. It's about inspiring the leaders of the future. Tell me who these lovely people are. Here are four examples of amazing young people doing amazing work in their communities. And these are the folks who are going to be carrying this stuff forward. The goal of the foundation, just like the goal of the center, is to figure out ways we can help them achieve their goals. And the truth is, is that guys like us are kind of old. We've run out of ideas. Yeah. You know, we need these people to help get us out of some of the binds we've gotten them into. And hopefully this will be sort of a hub for a lot of the activities that go on for years to come. Next generation of leaders, how many of you voted for Obama? Well, that's embarrassing. Yeah. You've heard the former first lady speak and you've heard the former president speak. Would you want to rank him? I'm going to have to go Michelle Obama. You know, that was a lap. His slogan was, yes, we can. As the next generation, how would you modernize that? Is there anything that would change about that? Yes, we can. President Obama said the center is about you, not about him. But obviously he's inspirational. Does anyone have an impression of Barack Obama that they know how to do it? Well, you know, Stephen, this is why we're here at the Obama President's Center, because we're trying to bring change home. Can I give you a little more pauses? Somehow pause before you talk. Just start with the word look and then don't say anything for a while. Look, this is why we're here. That's it. That's it. He's ready. Sir, it was wonderful to see you. Thank you for making the time. And thank you for everything that you have done. I mean, I know we only got a few shows left, but I know you're going to make them count, because you always have. Thanks very much. Thank you for listening to the Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert. Just one more thing. If you want to see more of me, come to the Late Show YouTube channel for more clips and exclusives.